


When We're Young

by lady_luck12



Category: EXO (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Coming of Age, F/F, Internalized Homophobia, Jongin is awkward, Jungli are the best friends a guy can have, Kim Jong Brothers (EXO), M/M, Sehun is weird, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-01-28 03:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12597052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_luck12/pseuds/lady_luck12
Summary: This is a story of two boys.This is a story of youth.This is a story of growing up.This is a story of understanding the world.This is not only a love story.When Oh Sehun moves in next door during the summer before senior year, Kim Jongin gets unwittingly pulled into a journey of discovery. Over the course of a year, Jongin begins to unravel what it means to grow up and be true to yourself.





	1. Green Light

**Author's Note:**

> This story cycles through a year and is broken up by seasons where each season will focus on either Jongin or Sehun.

_Fingers clutch his biceps. Lips, softer than what he expected, press against his own. They stand shrouded in the dark of shadows, melting together. Lips to lips, thigh against thigh, much too close. His hands open and close around still air, not sure what to do. A tongue asks to be granted entrance into the deep depths of his mouth and he jerks away, head slamming hard against the wall behind him in his haste._

A sigh slips from Jongin’s lips as he rests his head in the open palm of his hand. Fifteen minutes remain, and anticipation surges through the class like white-hot electricity. Fifteen minutes until they’re granted their freedom. Fifteen minutes until _summer_.

Students whisper their summer plans between each other in the absence of their science teacher. The man had stepped out of the class five minutes earlier, and Jongin’s class has been filled with murmured voices ever since.

Jongin looks away from the slow-moving clock in the front corner of the room to the window beside him. He watches as the sparse white clouds drift without direction through the cerulean sky. Below on the green field a few underclassmen have left class early and started up a lazy game of kicking a dingy white and black soccer ball between their feet.

Jongin is bored. His cell phone died during lunch, and Jinri and Soojung are in a different class than him. There’s nothing to do, no one to talk to, and the time moves excruciatingly slow.

Jongin’s not sure when he’d closed his eyes and begun to drift off to unconsciousness, but the unmistakable sound of a throat clearing forces him back to reality. He glances up to the front of the classroom and instead of being greeted with the sight of his balding science teacher, he’s met with his homeroom teacher. Her pink glossed lips are pulled into a smile as everyone begins to quiet down. “How are you,” she asks brightly, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. It’s a nervous habit of hers. She’s only just begun teaching, they’re her first homeroom class, and it shows.

The class answers in near unison and she nods her head to their words. “I’m here to give you your summer assignment.” There’s a groan, from all of them, and she laughs. “You’ll enjoy it, I promise. It’s very simple, something that many of you may complete as soon as the bell rings, but it was something we’d hope you enjoy.”

That sparks Jongin’s interest, and he finds himself actually paying attention to the woman in front of him.

“Your summer assignment is to answer one simple question: ‘if you could tell your past self one thing, what would you say?’ There is no word count, no desired answer. We want you to be creative, to enjoy the assignment, and more importantly spend the summer focusing on your desires and goals. Many of you will be going to college soon, you will have to take entrance exams and we want your focus on that as much as anything else. Write whatever you want, but make sure it’s appropriate.”

The class erupts into another round of chatter as teens begin talking about their assignment to their peers. Even Jongin feels the first buzz of excitement within him.

“Well,” she says, and the class quiets down once more. “I think that’s all for this semester. Have a good summer everyone, and behave.” She leaves first, her things in her hands and her smile still set.

The class is dismissed moments later, five minutes before their usual dismissal time. Jongin takes his time gathering his things. He wants to feel the warmth of the summer heat on his skin and be as far away from school as possible, but he doesn’t want to get swept up in the rush of students that feel the same way.

When he finally exits his class, Jinri and Soojung are leaning against a window in the corridor. Jinri is the first to notice him, and she stands, school bag in her hand. “There he is,” she exclaims, plump lips stretched into a smile. Soojung doesn’t look towards him as she stands properly, her eyes still glued to her cell phone.

“What do you have planned for the summer, Jonginnie,” Jinri asks him, looping a thin arm around his.

“Sleeping more, playing with my dogs, watching more movies, maybe playing a few video games,” Jongin lists off, letting the girl lead them out of the building.

“Fulfilling,” Soojung mutters sarcastically, she’s trailing behind the pair of them like usual. He glances back towards her to see the teasing grin on her lips. “Really,” she adds on for emphasis.

“What do you have planned, Soojung,” He asks her.

“My sister’s coming in from NYC next week,” she says.

“So, you know, she’ll spend about an entire month clinging to Sooyeon like she’s a child,” Jinri adds, sticking her tongue out at her friend when Soojung glares at her.

“Jinri and I are planning to vacation with my sister and her friends later on. They’re still deciding if they’re going to stay in the country or not. I don’t care as long as I’m near a beach.”

“Sounds fun,” Jongin says.

“You could always come with us,” Soojung says. “My sister likes you. I think she’s planning our wedding.”

Jongin cringes and Jinri chuckles, her hand tapping against his arm in amusement. “It would be fun, and you wouldn’t be the only guy there,” she adds on in support.

“I don’t think my mom would allow me,” He says. Jinri lets go of him when they get to the street they part at. Soojung lives in the opposite direction, closer to the city for her parents’ work, while Jinri lives three streets over from Jongin.

“Bye Jongin,” the girls say, waving at him and wishing him a nice summer. He does the same to them. The two girls link arms and leave first towards Jinri’s home.

Jongin had never set out to be childhood friends with the two most popular girls in his year. He’d met Jinri in elementary school, he’d been put as her seatmate from the first day of school. He hadn’t minded at the time, she had been kind and friendly to him. They’d met Soojung in 2nd grade when Jinri had somehow made her cry and Jongin was roped into cheering her up by drawing a picture of her as a princess. It wasn’t a good picture, but it did the trick, and they’d been friends ever since.

There's an unfamiliar silver car in front of Ms. Song's house and an equally unfamiliar boy leaning against it. He looks like he could be an idol, Jongin thinks he might be an idol. The stranger is focused on his handphone, lollipop stick sticking out between his lips, and hair so light it's almost white.

Jongin finds himself frozen in place, curiosity keeping him still as he wonders why this kid is standing in front of Ms. Song's house of all places.

The boy turns towards him suddenly, his tired eyes zeroing in on Jongin with obvious intrigue. He straightens up, his gaze warm on Jongin's blushing face, and then lets it roam down as he pushes his large smartphone into the front pocket of his light blue jeans.

He steps towards Jongin, lips beginning to part further as he makes to say something. Jongin remains frozen, his body beginning to sweat and ache from carrying his rather large backpack through the sweltering heat of summer. He doesn't want to talk to this boy. He's not good with people, not good with small talk, or any type of talk for that matter, and really just wants to be home in his bedroom with its air conditioning and his dogs. Awkward conversations can be held a different day, or really not at all if Jongin has a choice.

Noises from Ms. Song's house draws the boy's attention away from Jongin and causes him to frown, leaning back against the foreign car. Jongin feels the curiosity returning but he pushes it away and hurries towards his home.

Jongin doesn't think about the strange boy much after entering his home. He distracts himself with internet videos to pass the time. It isn't till he's walking his dogs pass Ms. Song's house that he finds himself wondering about the missing silver car, and the blond boy leaning against it.

Ms. Song didn't drive. She rode the bus into the city every day to get to her office job. She also didn't seem too fond of kids. He wonders who that boy could have been and just why was he there.

The boy is there again, outside Ms. Song's house. He's sitting on the wooden bench placed in front of the fence separating her land from Jongin's family's. His eyes are down again, focused on his smartphone, white earphones keeping him from hearing the noises around.

Just like before he seems to feel Jongin's gaze on him and looks up turning to face Jongin.

He removes one of his earphones as he tilts his head up to look directly into Jongin's eyes. "Hi."

Jongin blinks in surprise. "Hi," he says back. The word gets stuck in his throat and comes out more like a grunt than a greeting, causing him to clear his throat.

The boy's lips tug upwards at the corner. His grin seems mischievous and mocking and Jongin knows that the sudden warmth of his cheeks isn't due to the summer sun.

"I'm Sehun."

"Jongin," he says in introduction. Sehun stares, the grin is still there but not another word leaves him even as Jongin begins to fidget.

"Nice to meet you," Sehun says with a brief nod as he replaces his earphone.

Jongin's "you too," goes unheard as he walks pass Sehun. He turns back before he reaches the street corner hoping to get another quick discrete look at the boy. Sehun's eyes aren't down on his cellphone like Jongin expects, it's on Jongin's back. He doesn't turn away at being caught staring, he grins a bigger smile.

From there on they always meet when Jongin’s least expecting it. He’ll leave his home to walk his dogs and Sehun won’t be there. He’ll go to the convenience store to pick up things for his mom, and there will be Sehun standing in the chips aisle. They never get passed basic greetings. Jongin always finds himself fumbling and looking for an exit and Sehun is always looking at him as if he’s the most amusing idiot he’s ever seen.

**********

The day things begin to change starts off like any other day. Jongin drags himself out of bed and takes his dogs for an early morning walk, hoping to dodge the possibility of another awkward encounter with Sehun. He returns much later to an empty house. His older brother is still in the city, and his parents are already off to work. Breakfast for him is a bowl of cereal and a few bills from his mother to pay for lunch.

He returns back to his bedroom prepping for a lazy day of YouTube videos and watching people play the games he’d given up on out of a prickling sense of frustration. It’s all very normal until it isn’t.

The window across from Jongin’s is open. The curtains that were usually pulled closed aren't any longer. Jongin is not a peeping tom. He's not nearly as nosey as Soojung or Jinri typically are, but his desk is right beside his window and he can't help but look out of it. Besides, that room had always been empty before. Ms. Song was a single woman living alone in a villa with more than one bedroom and her second bedroom seemed to have been turned into a temporary storage. There was never really anything interesting in that room until today.

Sehun's in that room. He's stretched out across the bed, sheets bunched up around his knees, arm covering his face, and lips parted. He's asleep, dressed in a white tank top and blue shorts. The sight disturbs Jongin so badly that as he grabs his laptop and tries to leave he ends up knocking over a mug of pens he had on his desk. It thankfully doesn't break but Jongin doesn't bother trying to fix it as he shuffles out of his room, away from the boy that seems to be following him everywhere.

Jongin tries to do as he initially wanted, but Sehun haunts his thoughts. He wanted, needed, to know why he was there. He had to be a delinquent, it made the most sense to Jongin. He had blond hair and he was spending the summer with his single aunt in a town outside of Seoul. He always seemed to be making fun of Jongin in his head. He'd always grin to himself when Jongin fumbled about like an idiot and although that wasn't a true indication that Sehun was a delinquent, paired with everything else it seemed to work.

Sehun isn't outside when Jongin steps out for the second time that day. He feels relieved and although he wants to run back upstairs and see if he's still asleep, he decides against that. He was _not_ a peeping tom and he would not be caught in the act of staring at Sehun through a window. It was creepy, and he could just imagine how awkward it would be to have Sehun wake to Jongin staring at him. It was only a matter of time before Sehun’s grin decided to make an appearance in his nightmares.

There's nothing to do when his only friends are out of town and his own brother finds Seoul more entertaining than their hometown. The park only holds his attention for a while, it's too hot to do much of anything. The arcade is always welcoming but he could have just stayed home to play games, and there’s not a movie that he has any desire to see. Their town is hardly entertaining when you're alone, at least it seems that way for Jongin. So, he ends of wandering out of boredom. He’s traveled down all these streets before, seen all the shops a dozen times over, and there’s never really anything new. He decides once Sehun has crept back into his thoughts that he will finally put his persistent curiosity to rest and hold an actual conversation with the boy.

**********

"Hi Kyungsoo-hyung," Jongin says, stepping into the convenience store near his school. Kyungsoo was a friend of his brother's but unlike his brother, he'd almost immediately returned home once the spring semester had ended. The convenience store owner had been allowing Kyungsoo to work summers there since he was in high school.

"Jongin," Kyungsoo says in greeting, a smile on his lips as he looks up from his phone. Jongin used to think Kyungsoo was scary when he was younger. Honestly, he still thinks Kyungsoo's a bit scary, but he was nice and always smiling and most girls in their neighborhood had crushes on him at some point. He was called _Perfect Son-in-law_ material by the older ladies in the neighborhood. It was strange how Kyungsoo’s popularity came with no effort from himself. "When's your brother supposed to come back?"

"By next week if he doesn't want mom traveling all the way to Seoul and dragging him back," Jongin answers. "She said letting him move into a proper apartment was a mistake and he should have stayed in a dorm like you." Kyungsoo laughs at that. Jongin doesn't know if it's from imagining Jongdae being dragged back home or at being mentioned by his mother.

"You have a brother," Jongin hears, the voice is new but has quickly become familiar, and Jongin finds himself twisting around to face Sehun. He moves aside so Sehun can pay for his things.

"Uh, Yeah," he says, "he's two years older than me and goes to school in Seoul." Sehun looks towards him, a funny expression crossing his face, but then he's looking away and handing Kyungsoo his card. "Do you have any siblings," Jongin asks next, trying not to fidget nervously.

"No," Sehun says, grabbing his bag and card from Kyungsoo. "I'm an only child."

"But you're from Seoul, right," he asks next, as Sehun begins to leave. He follows after him, his purpose for entering the convenience store long forgotten. That previous expression crosses Sehun's face again. It’s a weird expression, and Jongin doesn’t know if it's his surprise at having Jongin try to start a conversation or something else.

 Sehun nods slowly and responds. "Yeah, I was born there."

 _'So what are you doing here then,'_ is what he wants to ask next, but he doesn't. He has manners, and he knows that will sound more rude than inquisitive. "I've only been to Seoul a few times before. Once to help Jongdae move into his apartment. We went on a day trip to Gyeongbokgung last year. My friend, Soojung, is from Seoul, her dad still works in the city." He stops speaking as Sehun begins laughing.

"I'm sorry," Sehun says, his chuckles dying down. "Do you get nervous with all people or do I just have some special power that turns you into this?" Jongin glares at Sehun as he begins laughing again.

"I'm not good with people," He says at last.

"Obviously," Sehun says. "Why'd you stop avoiding me?" He smiling that same smile from their second encounter, the smile that makes Jongin feel like an idiot.

"I wasn't avoiding you," he says. "I wasn't," he repeats, as Sehun laughs mockingly. "I was just avoiding this,” he gestures vaguely for emphasis, “the awkward conversation we were bound to have."

"I don't mind it," Sehun says. "This is better than what I've been getting up to over the last few days, and it's easier now, isn't it? I now know you're a bit awkward, and now you feel more comfortable talking to me, right?"

"No," Jongin replies, and he's not sure if that's a lie or the truth. "Why is your hair blond?" Sehun freezes, and Jongin stops as well turning to face the boy that was once beside him. The cool blankness is erased from Sehun's face, he's not wearing his teasing smile or the new expression he'd started making when talking to Jongin. Instead, his lips are parted, and his eyes are wide open in surprise. His free hand is touching the hair next to his ear.

"What," Sehun says, stroking his hair. "I'm not blond."

"Yes, you are," Jongin says slowly. Sehun's face contorts changing as the emotions dance across his features for Jongin to see. Then he's laughing, knees bent and looking as if he's moments away from toppling over.

"You're so easy to mess with," he teases. Jongin glares at him and begins walking with long strides, determined to leave the boy behind him. Sehun catches up easily.

"I don't know why I decided to talk to you," Jongin says. "You're really mean."

"I know," Sehun says, smiling. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm only mean to the people I like."

It really doesn't make Jongin feel better, but he does smile a bit. "Why blond," Jongin asks.

Sehun shrugs again, "Should I have gone with pink? Red maybe? It made the most sense at the time." He pauses and then stares at Jongin with that odd look again. "Oh, you mean why did I dye it at all? My therapist called it a cry for attention."

Jongin doesn't stop walking, even though the statement shocks him enough to make him want to. He just stares waiting for Sehun's laugh or something to clue him in that the other's joking. There is nothing, so Jongin assumes for the time being that what he's said is true. Jongin doesn't know what to say and Sehun doesn't say anything either as they continue walking in the direction of their homes.

"You live across from me," Jongin says suddenly to change the subject. He falters as the words are replayed in his mind. "I mean," he starts over before Sehun can tease him again. "Your bedroom is across from mine. Our windows..."

Sehun doesn't outright laugh as he grins at Jongin with patience, waiting for him to continue what he started off saying. When Jongin trails off and doesn't seem to want to continue he speaks up.

"I know," he states, "I've seen you talking to yourself a few times."

The flush that he'd been fighting off since they'd begun their conversation comes with vengeance and Jongin finds himself stuttering as he thinks up a defense. "I do not talk to myself," he says, but it comes out nothing like the tone of confidence and dismissal he was hoping for and every bit like the pathetic whine he hoped it wouldn't be. They're in front of Sehun's new home and Jongin decides to go to his own, red-faced and humiliated.

"Bye Jongin," Sehun calls out cheerfully. Jongin refuses to acknowledge him as he enters the gate leading towards his house. Sehun wasn't just a delinquent, he was a demon. No, he was much too evil to be just any demon, he had to be Satan.


	2. Sober

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's July and the boys are looking for adventures to pass the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly forgot that I had even published because I've been pretty busy lately.

Jongin is pulled from the edge of sleep by the sound of pattering paws and happy barking. Minutes later his brother is stepping into the living room for the first time in months, a duffle bag of dirty clothes hanging off his shoulder and three excited pups chasing after him.

“Make room,” Jongdae huffs, dropping his bag and shoving gently at Jongin’s legs to take a seat on the sofa. Jongin does as he’s told with a tired groan, sitting up and rubbing sleepily at his eyes. “Are you back because you finally ran out of clean clothes, or did mom’s threats actually work?”

Jongdae ignores him and snatches up the remote from beside Jongin. “Shouldn’t you be outside enjoying your summer, not watching bad daytime TV?” He switches from channel to channel before settling on a music channel and sits back in his seat. “Baekhyun watched that crap all semester, loudly.”

“Does Baekhyun do anything quietly?”

Jongdae’s silent, eyes trained on the television as a girl group music video plays. “Nope,” he says finally with a shake of his head. “Not since I’ve known him. I think he’s just louder around me because he knows I can’t block him out as easily as Kyungsoo and Chanyeol can.”

Jongin doesn’t bother reminding his brother that he can be just as loud as Baekhyun on any given day. The neighborhood always knew when the pair of them were back home from school because any semblance of quiet was lost.

Hours later Jongin finds himself back in his bedroom, bored and restless. He looks to the blue covered notebook on his desk, flipping pages until he gets to the most recent. There's a drawing of a window and nothing more. The drawing isn't well done, it's a quick sketch Jongin found himself creating in the middle of the night when he just couldn’t fall asleep. He looks away from it towards his actual window and nearly jumps out of his skin. Sehun's standing at his own window, hands in his pocket and furrowed brows smoothing out as he grins at Jongin.

Jongin closes the notebook with haste and glares at the boy in the house across from him.

"Are you avoiding me again," Sehun asks him, removing his hands from his pockets and stepping closer to the window.

"No," Jongin answers with a glare. "I've been busy." Sehun raises a brow, the grin still there. "I have," Jongin stresses because he can easily read Sehun’s look.

Sehun nods even though Jongin's sure he still doesn't believe him and turns away from the window. "Where are you going," Jongin finds himself asking, internally cursing his curiosity.

"Out," Sehun says, turning back towards the window with a tilt of his head.

**********

It's a coincidence, really. His dogs had begun to whine for their routine evening walk, and Jongin was the one that usually did it. Jongdae had left as quickly as he'd come after being seen hugged and affectionately yelled at by their mom, so he wasn’t an option. Honestly, he'd been planning to walk them before he'd even entered his bedroom and talked to Sehun, so it was a coincidence and nothing more that causes them to cross paths. He even gives Sehun enough time to leave without it looking like Jongin's following him.

Jongin's plans never work the way they want.

Sehun is there leaning against the neighboring gate, his phone in hand. The dogs pull at their leashes in excitement at the sight of the boy, tugging forward in order to crowd around Sehun. Sehun crouches down basking in the attention of the excited pups and talking to them in friendly tones. The pups soak it up, like the over-affectionate attention-seekers they are. Traitors.

Sehun looks up, his eyes traveling from the slides on his feet to his track pants and Jongin tries not to fidget at the stare. He refuses to be made uncomfortable by a boy from Seoul for choosing comfort over fashion. Besides, Jongin’s sure it’s the blond hair that makes Sehun’s outfits seem more fashionable than they probably are.

Jongin's not sure how he ends up handing Monggu's leash to Sehun or how they end up walking to the park together, but it happens.

"I have a dog named Vivi," Sehun says beside Jongin. This smile, this expression is different than others. His smile is soft, melting the hard lines of his face that usually causes him to look cold and standoff-ish. He looks younger this way, more childlike. "He's staying with a friend for now. My aunt's not fond of dogs and leaving him with my parents would have been considered animal abuse. I've been the only one to take care of him since we'd got him."

Jongin asks him more about Vivi because he loves dogs and not because the smile grows as Sehun divulges more about bichon he’d left back in Seoul.

"So, your brother's back," Sehun asks in conversation when they get to the park. They're in the grass with the dogs, and the sun has started to set.

"You've seen him," Jongin asks.

"Did you steal all his height," Sehun asks. Jongin hits him, it's a soft closed hand tap against his bicep and it causes Sehun to crackle with laughter. "Are you really close?"

"Yeah," Jongin says. "Hyung’s the type to take care of everyone. I don't think it's possible for people to not feel close to him."

"I'm jealous," Sehun says. "It must be nice."

"Friends can be just as nice," Jongin tells him. "I've got Jinri and Soojung, and I can't stand them most of the time, but I wouldn't trade them for anything, and Baekhyun–hyung's childhood friend–has been around so often he feels like another brother."

"I don't really have that either," Sehun admits. "I've had friends of course," he says, "I just never had that close bond with anyone."

"Just because you haven't had it yet, it doesn't mean you never will," Jongin says. He shrugs then and decides to try and change the subject. "Will you be here for the entire summer?"

Sehun nods. "We thought it would be best for me to have a change of pace." Jongin doesn't know who Sehun means by _we_ , and he doesn't know what he means by _change of pace_ , but he still nods as if he understands.

Their friendship is unlike any other that Jongin has ever had. Oh Sehun is still the devil. He's just persistent as well.  He wins over Jongin's mother with a puppy like smile that nearly has her cooing with affection. He wins over Jongin's brother with feigned interest in his nonexistent love life. Sehun barges into Jongin's life without hesitation and Jongin finds himself too flustered to remember to push him right back out, and then he realizes that he doesn’t actually want to.

**********

"Why can't I ever go to your house," Jongin asks. He's lying on his bed and Sehun's at his desk playing on the laptop he'd brought over.

"My aunt doesn't like you," Sehun says.

"What," Jongin exclaims. "Yes, she does, I think. She doesn’t hate me.”

"She doesn't hate you," Sehun agrees. "She just doesn't like you as my friend. She's not particularly mean, but I think she expects me to live quietly and out of her way, which means no annoying friends over."

"I'm not annoying," Jongin says.

"Are you pouting," Sehun questions, he doesn't bother to turn away from the laptop screen to see. Jongin stops pouting anyway.

"No," Jongin answers.

"I meant annoying in a general way," Sehun says. "No single woman wants a bunch of teenaged boys in her home, eating her food and doing this." He gestures vaguely with one hand and then proceeds to swear under his breath. Jongdae passes by his room and stops. Jongin almost regrets not closing his bedroom door beforehand.

“Why are you always here,” he asks leaning against the doorframe, as he grins at the pair of them. “You’d think a new friend would keep you away from home more. Do kids nowadays just refuse to go outside?”

"Aren't you only two years older than us," Sehun asks.

"And doesn’t your definition of going outside consist of you harassing Kyungsoo at work or meeting with Baekhyun in PC cafes," Jongin adds. "You hardly ever go out either. Besides doing stuff requires money I don’t have." He’s pouting again, and he can hear the small huffs of Sehun’s laughter.

"It's still out," Jongdae replies, with a weak glare. He pulls out a few bills and tosses them onto Jongin’s bed. “At least eat out tonight. I'll be home late."

"Have fun," Jongin says, as he begins counting the bills given to him. “Thanks, Hyung!”

"He's right you know," Sehun says, moving away from the computer and sitting on Jongin's bed. "We should get up to some mischief, we're young." He tries to peer at Jongin's current sketch, but Jongin pulls it away and tosses the book onto his bedside table.

"What do you have in mind," Jongin asks, looking towards Sehun with a frown of suspicion. Sehun grins and shrugs.

"Nothing," he admits, "but I'm open to ideas."

Mischief is put on hold for a later day, neither boy can think of anything to do, so they go back to what they were doing before. Jongin sketches vague drawings, and Sehun loses at games he plays.

**********

On an early day at the end of July, Jongin wakes to the sound of something hitting his window. He walks over to it and sees Sehun there wide awake and an eraser in his hand ready to toss it the short distance from his window to Jongin's window.

"Why are you throwing erasers at my window," He asks. The cicadas are loud this early and he has to speak over their hum without shouting and disturbing everyone else.

"Let's go on an adventure," Sehun says, ignoring his question and grinning. He drops the eraser in his hand and puts both hands on his windowsill, leaning till he's half out of it. "Come on Jongin, it'll be fun."

"Why are you throwing erasers at my window," Jongin repeats again. He tries to keep his amusement at bay, He should be annoyed at having been roused from sleep so early, but Sehun looks like he'd just woken up himself. HIs hair is ruffled and he's still wearing his sleepwear, but his eyes are bright with anticipation.

"I didn't have any pebbles," Sehun states, the look of eager melting away to give Jongin the look that seems to mean that Jongin is an idiot. "Jongin," he says, tilting his head and sighing in exasperation. He pushes himself even further out of the room. "Let's go on an adventure." He says each word slowly. Jongin stares at the eager look on the boy's face and walks back over to his bed. Ten minutes later, his phone is vibrating loudly on his bedside table.

* * *

 

_[06:45] Oh Sehun: That was rude._

_[06:45]: When?_

_[06:48] Oh Sehun: I'll give you an hour. We’re going swimming!_

* * *

"Can you swim," Sehun asks him when he exits his house. Sehun is sitting on the bench outside their homes, sunglasses resting low on his nose and backpack beside him.

"Yes," Jongin replies, rubbing sleepily at his eyes. “Swimming?"

"The sea," Sehun clarifies, standing up and stretching. "It's hot, it’s summer, and there are always pretty girls at the sea."

The last statement throws Jongin for a loop. He follows Sehun to the train station, finding himself wondering about a whole new aspect of the boy's mysterious Seoul life.

"You've dated before," Jongin asks suddenly. They're sitting across from each other on the train, Jongin faced towards the back and Sehun facing the front. The look the question brings is abrupt, the quirk of Sehun's eyebrows would have given it away if Jongin didn't realize it. It makes him wonder about Sehun’s secrets a bit more.

"Yes," Sehun says, he eyes drop towards the ground, but he doesn’t smile as he speaks. He brings his gaze back up to look at Jongin. "Most people our age have dated before. Haven't you?"

No, Jongin has never dated before, has never kissed a girl before even though he had come close to kissing Jinri years ago just to see what it was felt like. It was after Soojung had come home from LA talking about suntans and first kisses but they'd both chickened out at the last moment. It wasn't that Jongin wasn't interested in girls. He was. It was just that he had higher standards than most. Being best friends with two of the prettiest girls in his year meant that looks wouldn't cut it alone, and he had yet to meet the girl that had the perfect combination of looks and personality.

"You haven't, have you," Sehun presses at his silence.

"No," Jongin answers, glaring at Sehun in anticipation of his teasing.

"I'm not surprised," Sehun says, leaning back in his seat and grinning at Jongin. "You get flustered talking to me, you're probably worse around the girls you like."

"I do not get flustered talking to you,” Jongin retorts. Sehun raises a teasing eyebrow and Jongin glares, grateful that he doesn’t feel the flush of warmth that usually comes with Sehun’s mocking.

“You probably have impossible standards,” Sehun adds sitting back in his seat. “She has to be sweet, and kind, but not boring, and needs to cook like your mom or something, right?”

“No,” Jongin answers, “my mom doesn’t even cook that well.”

They eventually fall into a deep silence, Sehun rests his head in his palm and stares at the passing scenery. Jongin finds himself staring at the boy across from him. He’s been vibrating with excitement from the moment Jongin had met him outside. There’s a small smile on his lips now, soft yet sincere.

“I’m taking a nap,” Jongin says suddenly shutting his eyes abruptly.

**********

“What did you want to do now that we’re here,” Jongin asks. They’re at a small beach side diner, eating an early lunch before starting whatever Sehun has in mind.

“Play,” Sehun says with a grin.

They make sandcastles. Sehun’s crumples in on itself and Jongin has to start over after clumsily tripping over his own. Maybe they’re too old, racing in the sand and splashing each other in the ocean, but Sehun’s smile is the brightest yet, and it’s fun.

There are tons of pretty girls there just as Sehun predicted, but Sehun makes no other mention of them or shows any sign of noticing them even though Jongin notices the way a few of their eyes seem to linger on the blond.

Jongin’s eyes are on the sight before him, his ice-cream cone is beginning to melt, and his mind is definitely not on the boy beside him. It’s hours later and people still linger around on the beach, watching the sunset and enjoying the cooling air of the late evening.

“I knew you’d enjoy it,” Sehun mutters low. They’re so close Jongin’s able to hear him over the chatter of the crowds and the rushing waves.

“Of course, I would,” Jongin replies, turning to frown at Sehun. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you’re lazy,” Sehun teases. He shuffles closer, pressing into Jongin, elbow purposely jabbing into Jongin’s gut, a brilliant smile on his lips. “You would have never gone if I asked you like a normal person would.” Jongin thinks he’s wrong about that, there’s something tempting about going on adventures with Oh Sehun but he doesn’t know what it is.

Sehun pushes away from him, the space between them growing bigger causing Jongin to shiver at the sudden loss of the extra body. The vanilla ice-cream has dripped onto his fingers calling for his attention.

It’s dark when they board the train back. They’re sitting across from each other more, Sehun’s calmer. The smile is still there, small and lighting up his face, but the excitement’s gone now.

“Tell me about your friends,” Sehun says as the conductor leaves them alone.

“Soojung and Jinri,” Jongin asks. Sehun nods and smiles a little wider and so Jongin does. He tells Sehun how he met each of them, and the shenanigans he was unwittingly dragged into. He spends the entire train ride this way, Sehun’s muffled laughter encouraging him on.


	3. Homemade Dynamite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer vacation is almost over and that means back to school, back to routine, and back to not having Sehun around.

Jongin pauses in the doorway of his home, one shoe lying on its side and the other halfway kicked off. He finds himself startled by the sound of laughter, feminine laughter, familiar feminine laughter, and hurriedly kicks off his remaining shoe. He follows the sound straight to his kitchen, his eyes catching sight of three familiar heads of hair, two girls, and a guy Jongin hasn’t seen in months. Byun Baekhyun is in his kitchen and is the first to notice his arrival. His hair is a sandy blond now, different than the deep dark red it was the last time Jongin has seen him. His smile is still the same and it broadens as he moves over to Jongin.

“Jongin,” he says, breathing the name out in that excited tone he uses, the one that makes him sound like he’s seconds away from breaking into laughter. “Have you gotten taller?” His eyes are narrowed in false suspicion as he regards Jongin from head to toe.

“I think you’re just shrinking,” Jongin teases, grinning as Baekhyun’s face contorts into a look of mock offense. “What are you doing here,” he asks, turning away from his brother’s best friend to speak to the girls that have remained silent since his entrance. Soojung pulls a face at Jongin, but Jinri’s smiling as she leans against his kitchen counter.

“We’re here to see our precious Jonginnie, of course,” she says in a saccharine voice. Her hair is cut short, shoulder-length and framing her face, and she’s got a hint of a tan now. He missed her, he missed them both. He’d met and befriended Sehun, but that just made him miss them more.

Some nights, after spending the entire day with his neighbor, he would wonder how it would be to hang out altogether. Sehun and Jinri were cut from the same cloth, both tall and naturally pale in appearance, and vibrant and outgoing in personality. They had an uncanny ability to draw people in without even trying.

Baekhyun is closer to the kitchen exit, his eyes are narrowed, and his lips are stretched into an exaggerated frown. “Where’s hyung,” Jongin asks, seeming to pick up on the man’s anxiousness.

Baekhyun turns towards him, frown beginning to look much more like a pout now even as he throws a glare towards the kitchen exit as if it has just offended him. "He’s supposed to be getting ready, but he’s taking too long,” he says with an annoyed sigh. He looks from Jongin to the exit once more before slipping out of the room, calling loudly for Jongdae as he begins stomping up the steps. The high-pitched yips of Jongin’s dogs follow after him as they emerge from their hiding spots spurned on by the noise.

“So,” Jinri says, stretching her hands above her head and walking towards Jongin. “How has your summer been?”

They head to his bedroom, Jinri leading the way as if it’s her home and Soojung trailing behind them. Inside his bedroom, Jinri takes a seat at his desk, Jongin plops down on his bed with a grunt, and Soojung falls to the floor, leaning against the bed with closed eyes.

Jongin taps Soojung’s shoulder as Jinri launches into a retelling of their summer together. Soojung tilts her head back to glance up at him with a smile, head knocking against his arm in response to his silent question. If Jinri and Sehun were similar than he and Soojung were in the same. Introverts by nature, the pair of them tended to keep to themselves deep into their own heads on many occasions.

Jinri lets out a dramatic gasp that catches the pair's attention, Jongin sits up on his bed to get a better look at Jinri, his face losing color as he catches what’s in her hands. There are no secrets between the three of them, Jinri is much too invasive for there to be and Soojung’s always there laughing at his misfortune. The girls have a knack for coming across Jongin’s most embarrassing secrets and this time he’s scrambling up to get that book away from Jinri.

“Really, Kim Jongin? You can’t draw me, but you can draw windows.” She says the word windows with such an incredulity that in any other instance he would have laughed. Now, Jongin’s trying to calm down the beating of his heart while remaining as calm as possible, relief pooling in his stomach.

“I don’t draw people,” he says, hoping that he sounds causal. He takes the sketchbook away from Jinri. She doesn’t put up a fight, she sits back in her seat, eyes glaring at Jongin and full lips pulled into a pout.

“You drew Soojung,” Jinri reminds him. Jongin is only half paying attention to her, trying to stifle the urge to go through the pages in front of him. He knows it’s still there, knows that it hasn’t been seen, but he still feels shameful and frantic and he’s not sure why.

“When we were little kids. It was horrible.”

“It was lovely,” Jinri contradicts.

“I still have it in a safe place,” Soojung adds. “I think I might frame it one day." Jongin smiles at his friends’ words, feeling his heart finally begin to calm.

“Anyway,” Jinri starts, pulling her legs under her as Jongin walks back to his bed. He hides the sketchbook underneath his pillow and lays his head on top of it. “I heard you got a new neighbor.”

Jongin looks towards the window at Jinri’s statement, his curtains are open as usual but Sehun’s are pulled shut. Jongin guesses that he must be sleeping.

“He’s my neighbor’s nephew,” he explains.

“What’s he like,” Jinri presses. Jongin can’t see her but she has that annoyed tone to her voice that she often has been when she gets impatient.

“Weird,” Jongin breathes out, smiling at the ceiling, it catches both girls’ attention and they press him for more information. He didn’t have a problem telling Sehun about the girls, but doing the reverse makes him feel awkward, his stomach flutters with each word and he doesn’t know why. Maybe it’s because Sehun’s the first real friend he’s made since Jinri and Soojung and he’s a little bit possessive.

That night Jongin sketches closed windows and curtains underneath the lamplight. Sehun is still sleeping, his curtains still pulled tight and not a shadow in sight. He avoids the other pages of his book, the one Jinri had stumbled across and the one Jongin was glad she hadn’t.

**********

His roots are showing more now, contrasting dramatically against the white blond whenever he’s under the sun. He’s dressed in white with faded denim shorts and his face brightens up when he notices Jongin approaching.

“Hi,” Sehun says in greeting once Jongin’s close enough. Up close his face is flushed a light pink, and it makes Jongin wonder how long he’s been sitting outside.

“Hi,” Jongin says in reply. He doesn’t know why he always feels like an idiot when just saying hello, but he does. Sehun grins wider, shuffling to the side to make room for Jongin. “Jinri and Soojung are back,” he states as he takes a seat.

“Ah,” Sehun voices, leaning back against the wall. He squints as he looks off into the distance. “I want to meet them.”

“Me too,” Jongin exclaims turning to face Sehun. "I want you to meet them too."

Sehun turns his head, his face is blank, but he stares at Jongin with an intensity that has him fidgeting. “You do?”

"Of course," Jongin replies. Sehun grins, but Jongin only gets a peak of it as he quickly bows his head and turns in the opposite direction. Jongin blinks twice, confused at first by the reaction until he realizes suddenly that Oh Sehun is flustered. Jongin wants to take advantage of the situation like how Sehun typically does to him but all he can do is grin to himself as his heart swells with pride.

"Do you think they'll like me," Sehun asks.

"I told them about you," Jongin says, smiling. He wants to grab Sehun's hand in reassurance, but he hesitates fingers flexing as they remain close but not touching the boy beside him. "Jinri and you will probably get along best. You’re both crazy and hard to get rid of." Sehun lifts up his gaze, meeting Jongin's eyes to glare at him. He pushes his shoulder into Jongin's making Jongin laugh at the action. "Soojung's a bit quieter, but you both have that witty thing going for you. If you run out of things to talk about you can always talk about how mean to me you all are."

"Poor Jonginnie," Sehun teases. "I bet they have a lot of interesting stories about you."

"New rule," Jongin exclaims. "You can't talk about anything embarrassing." Sehun laughs, falling back against the wall, nose scrunching up, and eyes curving, expression open and honest.

**********

Jongin looks up at the feeling of vibrations on his desk. He picks up the phone beside his notebook and reads the message, turning his head to his window and locking eyes with a grinning Sehun.

“What are you still doing up,” Jongin asks him, once he opens his window. The night is human, the air thick and weighing him down, sticking to his as he leans out of his window. Just like most days the only sound that can be heard besides their voices in the rustle of leaves every time the window blows.

“Not sleepy,” Sehun shrugs. He nearly leans his entire torso out of his window, eyes narrowed into a look of contemplation. “Do you think I could make it if I jumped the distance?”

Jongin tilts his head, lips quirking into a smile at the randomness of the question. “Maybe? You’re probably the same size as the length between us.”

“Should I try it,” Sehun grins, pushing himself even farther through the window.

“Or you could just wait till morning to come to my house like a sane person,” Jongin suggests, he leans again the window, head tilted up as he tries to catch a glimpse of something in the night sky. “It’s too cloudy,” he muses. Sehun hums his agreement and Jongin looks back down meeting his eyes.

“What were you doing,” Sehun asks, he’s back in the safety of his room now.

“Nothing,” Jongin lies. “...Drawing,” he adds a moment later when he notices Sehun’s glare.

“Drawing,” Sehun repeats, leaning forward out of the window again. “What? Why haven’t I seen any of your artwork yet?”

“It’s not good,” Jongin answers immediately, just talking about it makes him feel insecure and embarrassed, he’s not sure he will ever be able to let Sehun see any of his sketches.

“But you enjoy it don’t you,” Sehun replies, it’s not a question it’s a statement. “People don’t willingly stay up late doing things they don’t enjoy.”

“I enjoy it,” Jongin mutters. “It doesn’t mean I’m not constantly frustrated by it.” he leans his head against his windowsill and heaves an annoyed sigh. “I can’t draw people even when I really want to. There’s always something off.”

Sehun bites down on his bottom lip, eyes warm on Jongin’s skin as he gets lost in thought. “Maybe you need a second opinion.”

“Maybe I do,” Jongin whispers.

**********

It strikes him at the arcade when he gets fifth place in a drag racing game after a few elbow jabs to the arm and Sehun's cheering loud in his ear, it's ending soon.

Summer break is almost over, the change of season is fast approaching, before it school will have resumed. It sucks the energy out of him, his mind clouds with thoughts of returning to school, returning to routine. Sehun seems to pick up on his mood and drags him out of the arcade. The sun has just set, the sky is a deep blue and streetlights light their way as Sehun leads him down a familiar path.

"What do you want to be," Sehun asks suddenly, his hands are in the back pockets of his cargo shorts and he walks with his eyes straight ahead.

"What," Jongin asks, speeding up to match his pace.

"You know," Sehun says shrugging his shoulders a bit, "after you graduate what do you want to do?"

"Go to university," Jongin answers on autopilot. It causes Sehun to stop in his tracks, head tilted as he regards Jongin with an indescribable look.

"But what do you want to do," Sehun asks again with emphasis.

"I don't know," Jongin admits. "I just want to go to university, I'd like to have as many options open as possible for when I finally decide." Sehun hums at this but stays silent.

"What do you want to do," Jongin asks.

"Move to France," Sehun admits.

"Why France?"

Sehun shrugs again. "I guess it's similar to your reason for going to university, it's what I think is the best way to accomplish my dream."

"What's your dream," They've long since reached their destination and Sehun sinks into the grass, hands resting underneath his head and eyes on the nearly empty sky.

“I want..." he trails off, lips pursing together as he finds himself lost in thought. "Not happiness, I'm pretty content right now. Freedom, I guess; inner-peace, maybe. I guess I just want to live as true to myself as possible, and France represents that. I can start over."

Jongin's silent, eyes on the boy lying in the grass as he realizes that there's still so much about Oh Sehun he doesn't know. Sehun already wants a do-over with life while Jongin feels like he’s never even started living yet.

"I'm going to finish my last year of high school here," Sehun tells him two days later.

Jongin’s looks up from his laptop to the boy stretched out on his bed reading one of his old comics.

"How come," Jongin asks.

Sehun's frowning, eyes fixed stubbornly on the comic between his fingers. "We agreed it would be for the best."

Jongin thinks he's talking about his parents, he only gets that cold when his parents are brought up. Months of friendship and all Jongin knows about Sehun's parents are that they can't take proper care of pets and Sehun resents them for not taking proper care of him as well.

"I hope we're in the same class," Jongin says. Sehun's lips quirk and the furrowed skin between his eyebrows eases away.

"I do too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any typos.


	4. Suburbia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sehun's first chapter and just a slight hint of a tonal change.

He stares unblinking at his reflection. His eyes tracing over himself from top to bottom. He lingers on the wrinkled eyebrows, how they furrow together expressing emotion. Then it’s the hair on his head and how it falls across his forehead, short and just brushing his brows.  His lips are tugged into a frown as he watches himself bring up one hand to run his fingertips through the dark strands of hair.

His shirt is tucked into pale grey trousers, and his matching tie is knotted perfectly. His hair is ruffled from him running his fingers through it far too many times. It’s been two weeks, he should be used to the image in front of him and yet he’s not.

He tilts his head and turns his face towards his bedroom window with a stiff smile. Jongin’s not there, not that Sehun expected him to be. They’re not in the same class, not that Sehun expected that either. A week into his new school and Sehun doesn’t really expect much these days. He’s just counting down the weeks until he’ll be able to graduate.

“Sehun,” his aunt calls for him when he finally makes it down the stairs of the home, schoolbag slung across one shoulder. He looks first towards the exit. He’s not too far and he can always pretend he hadn’t heard her, but she calls again, and with a sigh he follows her voice.

Song Hyemi, the youngest sister of his mother, is leaning against the kitchen counter, dressed in a white cardigan and with a class of water in her hand. As he approaches her, she doesn’t look at his face, instead, her eyes are on his hair. He doesn’t think she’s ever looked anywhere but his hair since his arrival. It made sense when his hair was dyed a stark notice-me blond, and neither of them could make eye contact with the other. Now that he’s back to black and he’s gotten used to her  _knowing_ , it just makes him sick.

“Jongin’s waiting for me,” he mutters, fingers clenching around thin air as he tries his hardest not to bury them in the pockets of his uniform slacks. She startles at that, eyes flickering briefly to his before looking beyond his shoulder.

“I just wanted to know how you were settling in,” she states stiffly. When she speaks to him, which isn’t often, it’s always in the same uncomfortable manner. He knows she loves him in that way she feels obligated to with him being her eldest sister’s only son, but she can hardly tolerate him, can hardly stand to be around him. He’s not sure he blames her for it either.

“I’m adjusting,” he answers. He looks away as he answers, if she doesn’t want to look at him, then he shouldn’t have to look at her.

“That’s good,” she says, spitting out the word like it was caught in her throat. “You don’t have much time left, so just… try to… lie low?” She poses it as a question as if she’s unsure of rather that’s what she means or not. She means try to be normal, try to fit in and not stand out, try not to be himself.

He nods and makes to leave, but she calls out for him in protest. “Yes,” he asks, turning back to her.

 “Be careful with that Kim boy,” She adds, she looks at him this time to get her point across. He hates her a little more for it.

“I will,” he promises, his stomach lurching and his heart picking up its pace. He feels ashamed and disgusted and he wishes it was all because of her but it’s not. He’s already told himself that he’d be careful around Jongin, not because of her or anyone else in his family, but because he knows how it’ll be if he isn’t and he’s smarter now.

The gate squeaks as he pushes it open, his eyes immediately going to the shared bench in front of the two homes. Jongin is leaning back, head tilted up to look at Sehun, dark eyes narrowed, and full lips pursed into his signature pout.

“What took you so long,” he whines.

“My aunt wanted to know how I was adjusting,” Sehun says, watching Jongin stand and stretch.

“That’s nice,” Jongin replies. HIs words are slow as if he‘s unsure of what to say exactly. Sehun grins at that, pushing into Jongin‘s side as they walk together. Jongin frowns and pushes back, making Sehun laugh out loud. “How are you?”

“How am I, what,” Sehun asks. He knows what Jongin‘s trying to ask him, but he likes teasing him too much. He gets flustered like he‘s never talked to a person before.

“Adjusting,” Jongin clarifies with a grin. He looks away suddenly, pocketing his hands in his trousers as a flush overtakes him. “Do you like it here?”

“No,” Sehun says, biting down hard on his bottom lip to stop himself from smiling; “but, the people aren‘t so bad.”

“We’re the greatest people you’ll ever meet,” Jongin retorts. Sehun finally smiles as he looks over to his friend. Jongin is still a little flushed, but he meets Sehun‘s eyes with a matching grin.

“That’s a bold claim,” he teases.

On the first day of school, when Sehun was still reeling from being new and not having Jongin in his class, he‘d stepped into class and a girl in the middle row with long brown hair and a grin on her lips had volunteered the seat beside her. He’d learned that the girl was Jung Soojung, one of Jongin‘s oldest friends.

They get along well. Soojung has a dry wit that reminds him of home and better days. By the end of their first week his class thinks they’re dating. It doesn‘t bother him, and if it bothers Soojung, she doesn‘t say.

“What‘s wrong,” Soojung asks him as soon as he takes a seat. Her desk is covered in papers and textbooks, but the wide-eyed look of concern is hard to miss.

“Why do you think something‘s wrong,” he asks her instead of answering.

“I don’t know,’ she replies with a shrug, “call it intuition.”

“I,” he begins and pauses, attempting to think over his words. “I‘ve started to wonder if I really like living here.”

“Do you,” she asks. Her eyes are full of intensity when she asks, and her lips have tugged into a tiny frown. Even though they‘ve just met, Sehun doesn‘t feel comfortable lying to her, and he thinks she knows that.

“Yes,” he answers, meeting Soojung’s eyes. She’s quiet, her gaze lingering on him, doing what she can to read him.

“But,” she presses after a moment.

“But, I don’t know. I... really don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.”

Her frown deepens as she nods. “I get it.” She says it so softly, it’s almost like a whisper and for whatever reason Sehun believes she really does, even if he hardly gets it himself.

They eat lunch on the back steps of the school. It’s still warm out and the back stairs provide shade away from the heat of the sun.

Soojung is holding Jinri’s hand, grounding her, as the girl gets more and more passionate in her debate with Sehun.

“I’m just saying,” Sehun says, a grin on his lips as he speaks. “The lead sucks and I’m better looking than he is.”

“That” Jinri begins, the fight fizzing out of her at Sehun’s unexpected brag, “is probably true.”

They all laugh at that, Soojung throws her head back while her free hand covers her smile. Even Jongin, despite having stopped paying attention to them when they stumbled on the topic of the show, is laughing loud.

“What do you think, Jongin,” Sehun asks.

Jongin blinks slow, looking up at Sehun with the look that Sehun has begun to associate with confusion. “About your looks?”

“Don’t bother, Sehun,” Jinri speaks up, laughing at Jongin. “He’s an otaku. He doesn’t care about shows like that.”

“I am not,” Jongin cries out, glaring at his short-haired friend.

“Yes, you are,” she retorts with an eye roll. She turns towards Sehun and says, “unless it’s anime, video games, or strange Youtube videos, he doesn’t care.”

“That’s a lie,” Jongin accuses, “and, the YouTube videos I watch are not strange.

“Yes, they are,” Soojung chimes in, grinning. “We both watch them.” The look of utter betrayal Jongin sends her way has Sehun crackling with laughter.

They stay there until the last few minutes of their break, calmer now. Jinri and Soojung whisper to each other, heads close together and still holding hands. Jongin is back to paying attention to his phone, playing a mobile game he’d downloaded a few days ago. Sehun sits beside Jongin, one earphone in ear playing a song he’s not paying attention to, and unable to stop himself from feeling pensive.

 It’s been nice being with them. He still feels like an outsider, like a puzzle piece that just barely fits, but they don’t treat him that way. On his first day Soojung had turned towards him, a grin on her lips and said, “Come on,” and he did. He followed her through the halls to the back exit, and when she’d open the doors, Jongin and Jinri were already there.

“We would have been here sooner,” she had said, tucking her skirt underneath her as she took a seat, “but Sehun here, is already popular.” It had been his first time seeing Jinri, but her eyes were bright and her lips were parted in such a wide grin that it felt more like meeting an old friend than making a new one.

When the weather is warm and nice they sit on the back steps of the school, and Sehun can’t wait to see what they do when it’s cool out. Do they have a room tucked hidden away within the school; a room that everyone is where the three of them spend the few minutes of their lunch in? More importantly, will Sehun be around long enough to see it?

**********

“Jongin,” Sehun calls out from his place on Jongin’s living room, his calculus left unattended as he browses through his phone.

“What,” Jongin asks. He sounds frustrated and Sehun knows it’s because of his Chemistry homework.

“Let’s go on another adventure.”

“No,” Jongin says, turning back to his homework. Sehun sits up at that, taking the book from him and glaring at his friend.

“Come on,” he presses. “You’ll like it. Didn’t you like it when we went to the sea?”

“What’s it this time,” Jongin asks with a resigned sigh. He glares when he reaches for his textbook and Sehun pulls it further out of his reach.

“Let’s go to Seoul,” Sehun says. “Tomorrow. We can take the bus, it’s only like 30 minutes.”

“What’s in Seoul,” Jongin asks with a groan. Sehun can only look at him at first, a spark of amusement running through him. He wants to tease Jongin, remind him that Sehun hails from Seoul, a large metropolis with tons of things to see and do.

“That indie group I like will be performing at his popular club,” Sehun explains. “I really want to see them.”

“If it’s at a club, will they allow us in,” Jongin asks with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s more like a music venue then a dance club,” Sehun answers, handing Jongin his textbook. “We’ll be fine, unless you’re planning to buy drinks.”

Jongin frowns as he thinks it over. The pair of them can both be lazy, and with the drop in temperature they were both prone to staying indoors where it was warm.

“Fine,” Jongin groans out, burying his face in the cushions of his sofa.

The bus ride is actually forty-five minutes long and Sehun gives Jongin the window seat to appease him. They have to take a second bus into the part of the city they need to be and that’s an added thirty minutes because of the early Saturday traffic.

“It’s cold,” Jongin whines press close to Sehun, hands buried deep into the pockets of his heavy parka. It’s October now and Sehun’s last memory of Seoul was warm hot humidity, and shameful bitterness. It’s cooler now, the tall buildings further blocking out the sun, basking them in a shadow that chills them even more than the chilly wind.

"Let's eat here," Sehun says, stopping in front of a fast food place. Jongin perks up immediately at the suggestion. The pair of them had only had a few snacks between the bus ride into the city and the bus ride to their location.

"Hyung and Baekhyun live nearby," Jongin states after he's eaten half the food set on their table, and he's no longer cold.

"Do they," Sehun asks, gazing out of the storefront's window. "Kyungsoo drives right?"

"Yeah," Jongin nods. "Living in Seoul is expensive."

"And not that great either," Sehun adds. They finish the rest of their meal in a peaceful silence. When he's not staring at Jongin, he's throwing glances towards the window, taking in the sights, and the people. Seoul doesn't look any different than it looked in late June, and yet it feels different.

Jongin catches him in the act at one point. Sehun's watching silently as three kids no older than 12 tread down the street in warm coats, talking animatedly only to turn back and meet Jongin's eyes.

Jongin always complains about the looks Sehun gives him. He says that Sehun makes him feel like an idiot, but he doesn't have a clue how flustered Sehun gets when he catches Jongin staring. His eyes are the deepest brown Sehun has ever seen, and when he stares the way he sometimes do, they seem almost onyx. Jongin stares like he's trying to see into your very soul, and for a boy like Sehun with deep dark secrets, it always makes him feel as if he's only moments away from being exposed.

"You miss it, don't you," he asks, eyes still intense and on Sehun as if he's daring him to lie.

"Miss what," Sehun asks, reaching for the Cola on his table to avoid Jongin's eyes.

"Seoul."

He pauses, drink lifted halfway in the air. He places the glass down and frowns. That's the thing isn't it? When he'd first gotten off the bus at the terminal he'd felt at home. He could taste Seoul, could smell and feel the difference in the air, but now he didn't feel quite right. He felt like he'd been away for years rather than months, the city felt different to him in a way that he couldn't quite grasp.

" I don't know," he finally says. "I miss this," he gestures vaguely around the shop. "But, I don't really miss anything else."

Jongin doesn't press for more information, which Sehun is glad for. Jongin never presses for more information, not about his parents, not about his old life. Sometimes like now he'll ask a question, but he never demands an answer or for Sehun to explain himself.

**********

“Would you rather...” Jongin begins before pausing and frowning. “I can’t think of anything.”

They’re sitting on the left side of the stage, underneath the upper floor balcony, waiting for the show to start. Sehun’s eyes aren’t on Jongin. At first he’d let his gaze sweep the room, an old habit of his from before. Now his eyes are on the location beyond Jongin’s right shoulder.

“Really,” he asks, teasing. “I can go again.”

“No,” Jongin says glaring at him. “Would you rather lose all progress on every game or... only play one game for for the rest of your life?”

Sehun looks towards him, and ignores the sudden desire to smile at Jongin’s smug expression and instead frowns as if he’s in deep thought. “Which game?”

“Which ever one you suck the most at,” Jongin replies.

“I don’t think losing my progress would be too bad,” Sehun says after a moment.

They remain in their seats when the show starts. The main level is filled with tables even though a small group of people have gathered close to the stage. Jongin has his phone out, taking as many pictures and videos as he can in the dim light, while Sehun finds himself paying little attention the show. His mind and his eyes continuous sway to that spot beyond Jongin’s right shoulder and the person lingering there.

“That was fun,” Jongin says an hour and a half later. His lips are forming a wide grin, and his eyes are shining in the soft light with indescribable joy. “Seriously! I didn’t think it’d be this much fun.”

“You should listen to me more often,” Sehun teases. “I obviously know what you like.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Jongin says rolling his eyes. “I’m going to head to the bathroom.”

“Ok,” Sehun mutters, tapping his fingers on the table. “I’ll meet you outside.”

He takes his time leaving his seat, instead watching Jongin leave out of the corner of his eyes. He doesn’t hear the sound of the chair Jongin was in scraping against the floor, but he does the sudden presence that occupies it.

“Where have you been, Oh Sehun,” he hears as soon as he looks up and meets the eyes of the boy before him.

“Around,” he answers, the music is low and his voice is only slightly louder than it. Light brown eyes narrow at the statement, the deep dark black eyebrows above them furrow together.

“Is that so,” the person across from him asks, sitting back in his chair with that easy easy confidence Sehun always hated. His eyes trail along the direction Jongin went before focusing back on Sehun. “I heard some interesting rumors about you. Didn’t believe it at first, but then you stopped going to school and now... Well, when I really think about it, I guess it all makes sense.”

“Really,” Sehun asks. He keeps his expression as blank as he can, raising an eyebrow in mock question.

“I’ll admit that it was a bit of relief when you, not having to reject you and everything. Sehun, you’re my friend and I just don’t see you that way.”

It stings but it doesn’t hurt, not the way it would have a few years ago.

“Funny,” Sehun says even though they both know that there is absolutely nothing funny about this interaction. “I had something similar planned to say to you before I knew I wasn’t coming back. How did it go again?” He pauses, feigning thoughtfulness as he fights to ignore the annoyance swelling inside of him.

"Ah, that's right. You're a leech and too self-obsessed, I don't think we can be friends any longer. Guess it would have made that rejection of yours pretty awkward." He stands and leaves, his coat hanging off one arm.

The temperature outside has dropped even further, but it feels nice on his warm skin. He leans against the side of the building with closed eyes and breathes in a deep necessary breath. It could have gone worse, so much worse. Jongin could have overheard and then he'd be walking out friendless and with no dignity.

He feels another presence beside him and Sehun wants to lash out and fall to his knees all at once. He opens his eyes, ready to meet another person from his past, only to catch Jongin's eyes narrowed into concern and his lips pulled into another frown.

"You frown too much," Sehun states. Jongin is already wearing his coat and Sehun begins to put his own on.

"You okay," Jongin asks him, eyes still filled with concern as he follows every second of Sehun's movement.

"Fine," Sehun replies. "I was feeling overheated inside." It's not a complete lie, but Jongin doesn't look as if he buys it either way.

"There were a lot of people inside," Jongin mutters.

When Sehun takes his first step away from the building, Jongin presses close once more as if afraid of the cold Seoul air. "It's my turn remember," Sehun says, leading Jongin to the nearest bus stop.

Jongin doesn't frown this time, but he does glare and pushes even closer to Sehun.

"Would you rather run naked through the neighborhood on a cold night or have a spider crawl over your face." The look of outrage and disgust Jongin throws his way as Sehun biting his bottom lip to keep from laughing.

"You're evil," Jongin says. "I thought Jinri and Soojung could be evil, but they're angels next to you."

"Answer the question," Sehun says instead, grinning wide as he looks at his friend.

"How cold," Jongin asks after a moment's hesitation. Sehun stops into the middle of the street and turns into Jongin, laughing out loud into the boy's shoulder.

"-12 degrees, he says between the chuckles.

"I'll get hypothermia and die," Jongin whines loudly, pushing at Sehun but never hard enough to push him away.

"Between how hard you'll blush and how fast you'll run, I'm sure you won't even feel the cold," Sehun adds. They've started walking again. It's a slow gait up the street as they try to stay in sync and as close as possible.

"I'd rather run," Jongin says at last, unable to complete the full statement, "But it would need to be completely dark and everyone would need to be asleep."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the typos and that this took so long! If you want you can find me on tumblr, but I don't use it as much anymore.  
> Main Writing Blog


End file.
